.
"What makes you think I can help?"
"I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't thought you could find a solution."
Both voices were low, and both could feel the tension in the room. He was tense because of the situation…she was tense because she knew who he was, although he did not recognize her yet.
"Do you know what you want from all of this?" The young girl gestured vaguely to the round table in between them, its black cloth covered the antique cherry wood and pooled over the edges almost touching the floor.
Draco Malfoy sat across from her, waiting with impatience. "NO, I'm not sure…" frustrated he sighed heavily, lowering his voice ever so slightly. "I just need to know."
"/Can you or can't you?/" He asked a final time then threw a small pouch onto the table. The coins inside clinked together, a wonderful sound not often heard ever since the end of the war. Even in the low light from the candles in the room she could tell the pouch alone would get her something on the market.
"I can of course…" After taking the money and slipping it into a pocket on the inside of her long skirt, she took her cards from her waistband as they were tucked away where she always kept them. Where her mother had kept them at one time as well.
They were old, battered cards. Some fading slightly, others more vibrant, riddled with designs and underlying meanings. On the back of the cards, the side Draco could see as she shuffled the deck, was silver Celtic knot patterns drawn against a black background. These simple cards held so much power, he could feel it. The girl, maybe two years younger than him, held more power than he did and the cards combined.
She was the best, and this is why he came to her. Her talent was known through out the provinces for it's accuracy and her way of looking at you, piercing your soul with her eyes, and casually letting you know she knows why you are /really/ here. Draco heard she'd gotten this skill from her mother, and her mother from her mother before her. Those cards as well might be as old as the traditions passed between mother and daughter. Draco usually detested such things as second hand 'garbage', but such items as sacred as these cards, family heirlooms, were an exception. He had respect for such things as those.
Music coming from, what seemed, far away floated into the room. He hadn't noticed it before. He was over whelmed a bit by finally being here after weeks of travel. He missed many details when he came in just like he hadn't really looked past the raggedy clothes of this practical beggar, although regarded as a kind of royalty this very girl was called on personally to predict and prophesize for many men in high positions.
'Then why on earth would she still choose to live out here in the middle of no where? In this shack that is about ready to fall apart?' he asked him self as he looked around the room. She is getting more money than most, that was for sure, with her occupation and status. But she still chose /this/ over a wealthy surrounding.
He took in her clothing, although not filthy or full of holes they still had a nomadic quality. The colors drab, the cloth baggy unlike the new style which clung to young women's forms. Her gold and multicolored bracelets made small noises as they jangled together when she moved her arms. The many gaudy rings that adorned her fingers look like genuine jewels, and her dangling earrings that had little bells attached gave her almost a childish/playful quality that fit her well. The witches' hair hung down past her shoulders, the color a deep red and looked surprisingly soft, and her skin was pale though not in an unhealthy shade. He hadn't expected her hygiene to be so well kept. Most peasants didn't bathe except for once a week.
But also this girl seemed…a pillar of strength, surprising for some one so small and fragile. A certain pride shone through, a kind of attitude that screamed to be recognized, though she kept it in line as a kind of respect for others around her. And once again he thought of her power…definitely a pure blood, this one, he could just tell that sort of thing. Though not as if it mattered, he wouldn't be bedding her any time soon. He was not desperate enough to fuck a muggle or mudbood, and this girl -not only is she technically low class-not even her beautiful face could convince him to even approach the subject. As far as her employers were concerned she was on the same level as himself, if not higher (irritatingly enough) and it would be improper to ask a lady such a thing.
Although no side won the war Draco still treated mudbloods with disdain and muggles…well he'd rather not deal with them at all. The Light Side and muggles took one side, and the followers of Voldermort took another. They were practically in the same position before every one started dying, except muggles knew about their world now and helped fight against the "bad" wizards.
There was rumor she supports Harry Potter, which normally would have put him off anyone, but still in some ways he found this mysterious woman stunning. On various occasions Draco went a head and had higher-class women regardless of what every one thought was proper…but he wouldn't engage in anything at the moment because of the seriousness of this meeting, no matter how beautiful she was.
Speaking of.
Draco's mind came back to the present watching her shuffle the cards. Suddenly she stopped and held out the deck to him. The large cards covered her entire hand, and he was starring at the design that for just a second he swore turned into a coiled snake, the original design had disappeared and the 'snake' moved….but just for a second…
He shook his head slightly to clear it, once again seeing silver knot work, and looked up.
"I need you to shuffle the cards." She said simply, her voice voice took on a bored tone and her R's rolled ever so slightly.
He had no idea /why/. Hadn't she just been shuffling for the last 5 minutes? But he obeyed her wishes and took the cards from her. While he shuffled she began to talk.
"Where would you look for the answers, young Draco? From the Oracle or her visions?"
He could have smiled. It was a trick question, this he knew. And his answer came truthfully on a spontaneous whim.
"From my own visions, Madame." Such things were not talked about, as this sort of work was of Women's Craft. Legend claims it brought ill fortune to the practicioners family for a male to have The Visions, The Gift. Men that were caught using The Gift were disgracfully disowned by thier clan, although a more understanding family might ask him to denounce such practices and let it be forgotten if not a public affair. But he knew she would not tell. What ever was told here, stayed here.
His answer did make her smile, though she still probed him with questions.
"Why do you not seek wisdom from your own mind…surely the answers are there. Why do you bother me for such a silly card reading?"
Draco's hands tightened at the word 'silly', this was anything but silly.
"You are the best." He forced out, trying to sound casual and failing to do so. "You know you are the best." He knew she was trying to push his buttons-- looking for something, he just didn't know what.
"Are you afraid of the future Malfoy? Of what it might have in store for you?" This question she almost asked in a whisper, tilting her head to the side a bit. For some reason on these paticular questions, her voice sent shivers up his spine.
"No." he answered firmly.
To her his answer was to quick, and he sounded too sure of himself. Just the way her clients sat and the manners they displayed told her much more than they knew they were giving away, just like the cards who's meanings practically read themselves-- for her, these too, where clues. Clues to unravel what ever mess the foolish men have gotten them selves into. She always found it amusing that the only women who wandered thier way to her were young ones looking for love divinations...you'd never find a crone in her presense, unless it was for a cup of tea and a nice chat.
"You are not afraid of a future you have no control over? A path you have taken blindfolded…although even when you have insight you cannot turn around and go a different direction?"
For a moment he stopped and looked at her, a long piercing look. His eyes were intense and his voice was clipped when he answered. "It is my fate and I shall change it however I like."
He set the cards down roughly in front of her.
She picked them up carefully and with a fluid motion spread them out on the table, creating a fan of cards displayed evenly. He could tell she'd done this probably a good 100 times before.
Draco looked at her as she leaned back and rested against the grand wooden chair, folded her hands on her lap as a smile curved her lips and said, "Pick ten cards."
(A/N): Bad Dimi! Bad, bad Dimi! I shouldn't be starting something else, but this idea came to me when I was wandering around aimlessly ^_^
Now, I'm not sure how long this is going to be, but I doubt it will be one of my four chapter short fics. That and I'm making this up as I go along, so rating/subject/plot can and probably will change. As for the actual reading she is about to do, I have an idea for this, but when I'm explaining the cards -their meanings and techniques if I can- it will probably be a bit different than some are used to. My mum bought me my first deck when I was…I think 11 or 12. So yes, I've been at this for a while and I know what I'm doing.
So review and tell me what you think!
-Glowing Embers
.
"What makes you think I can help?"
"I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't thought you could find a solution."
Both voices were low, and both could feel the tension in the room. He was tense because of the situation…she was tense because she knew who he was, although he did not recognize her yet.
"Do you know what you want from all of this?" The young girl gestured vaguely to the round table in between them, its black cloth covered the antique cherry wood and pooled over the edges almost touching the floor.
Draco Malfoy sat across from her, waiting with impatience. "NO, I'm not sure…" frustrated he sighed heavily, lowering his voice ever so slightly. "I just need to know."
"/Can you or can't you?/" He asked a final time then threw a small pouch onto the table. The coins inside clinked together, a wonderful sound not often heard ever since the end of the war. Even in the low light from the candles in the room she could tell the pouch alone would get her something on the market.
"I can of course…" After taking the money and slipping it into a pocket on the inside of her long skirt, she took her cards from her waistband as they were tucked away where she always kept them. Where her mother had kept them at one time as well.
They were old, battered cards. Some fading slightly, others more vibrant, riddled with designs and underlying meanings. On the back of the cards, the side Draco could see as she shuffled the deck, was silver Celtic knot patterns drawn against a black background. These simple cards held so much power, he could feel it. The girl, maybe two years younger than him, held more power than he did and the cards combined.
She was the best, and this is why he came to her. Her talent was known through out the provinces for it's accuracy and her way of looking at you, piercing your soul with her eyes, and casually letting you know she knows why you are /really/ here. Draco heard she'd gotten this skill from her mother, and her mother from her mother before her. Those cards as well might be as old as the traditions passed between mother and daughter. Draco usually detested such things as second hand 'garbage', but such items as sacred as these cards, family heirlooms, were an exception. He had respect for such things as those.
Music coming from, what seemed, far away floated into the room. He hadn't noticed it before. He was over whelmed a bit by finally being here after weeks of travel. He missed many details when he came in just like he hadn't really looked past the raggedy clothes of this practical beggar, although regarded as a kind of royalty this very girl was called on personally to predict and prophesize for many men in high positions.
'Then why on earth would she still choose to live out here in the middle of no where? In this shack that is about ready to fall apart?' he asked him self as he looked around the room. She is getting more money than most, that was for sure, with her occupation and status. But she still chose /this/ over a wealthy surrounding.
He took in her clothing, although not filthy or full of holes they still had a nomadic quality. The colors drab, the cloth baggy unlike the new style which clung to young women's forms. Her gold and multicolored bracelets made small noises as they jangled together when she moved her arms. The many gaudy rings that adorned her fingers look like genuine jewels, and her dangling earrings that had little bells attached gave her almost a childish/playful quality that fit her well. The witches' hair hung down past her shoulders, the color a deep red and looked surprisingly soft, and her skin was pale though not in an unhealthy shade. He hadn't expected her hygiene to be so well kept. Most peasants didn't bathe except for once a week.
But also this girl seemed…a pillar of strength, surprising for some one so small and fragile. A certain pride shone through, a kind of attitude that screamed to be recognized, though she kept it in line as a kind of respect for others around her. And once again he thought of her power…definitely a pure blood, this one, he could just tell that sort of thing. Though not as if it mattered, he wouldn't be bedding her any time soon. He was not desperate enough to fuck a muggle or mudbood, and this girl -not only is she technically low class-not even her beautiful face could convince him to even approach the subject. As far as her employers were concerned she was on the same level as himself, if not higher (irritatingly enough) and it would be improper to ask a lady such a thing.
Although no side won the war Draco still treated mudbloods with disdain and muggles…well he'd rather not deal with them at all. The Light Side and muggles took one side, and the followers of Voldermort took another. They were practically in the same position before every one started dying, except muggles knew about their world now and helped fight against the "bad" wizards.
There was rumor she supports Harry Potter, which normally would have put him off anyone, but still in some ways he found this mysterious woman stunning. On various occasions Draco went a head and had higher-class women regardless of what every one thought was proper…but he wouldn't engage in anything at the moment because of the seriousness of this meeting, no matter how beautiful she was.
Speaking of.
Draco's mind came back to the present watching her shuffle the cards. Suddenly she stopped and held out the deck to him. The large cards covered her entire hand, and he was starring at the design that for just a second he swore turned into a coiled snake, the original design had disappeared and the 'snake' moved….but just for a second…
He shook his head slightly to clear it, once again seeing silver knot work, and looked up.
"I need you to shuffle the cards." She said simply, her voice voice took on a bored tone and her R's rolled ever so slightly.
He had no idea /why/. Hadn't she just been shuffling for the last 5 minutes? But he obeyed her wishes and took the cards from her. While he shuffled she began to talk.
"Where would you look for the answers, young Draco? From the Oracle or her visions?"
He could have smiled. It was a trick question, this he knew. And his answer came truthfully on a spontaneous whim.
"From my own visions, Madame." Such things were not talked about, as this sort of work was of Women's Craft. Legend claims it brought ill fortune to the practicioners family for a male to have The Visions, The Gift. Men that were caught using The Gift were disgracfully disowned by thier clan, although a more understanding family might ask him to denounce such practices and let it be forgotten if not a public affair. But he knew she would not tell. What ever was told here, stayed here.
His answer did make her smile, though she still probed him with questions.
"Why do you not seek wisdom from your own mind…surely the answers are there. Why do you bother me for such a silly card reading?"
Draco's hands tightened at the word 'silly', this was anything but silly.
"You are the best." He forced out, trying to sound casual and failing to do so. "You know you are the best." He knew she was trying to push his buttons-- looking for something, he just didn't know what.
"Are you afraid of the future Malfoy? Of what it might have in store for you?" This question she almost asked in a whisper, tilting her head to the side a bit. For some reason on these paticular questions, her voice sent shivers up his spine.
"No." he answered firmly.
To her his answer was to quick, and he sounded too sure of himself. Just the way her clients sat and the manners they displayed told her much more than they knew they were giving away, just like the cards who's meanings practically read themselves-- for her, these too, where clues. Clues to unravel what ever mess the foolish men have gotten them selves into. She always found it amusing that the only women who wandered thier way to her were young ones looking for love divinations...you'd never find a crone in her presense, unless it was for a cup of tea and a nice chat.
"You are not afraid of a future you have no control over? A path you have taken blindfolded…although even when you have insight you cannot turn around and go a different direction?"
For a moment he stopped and looked at her, a long piercing look. His eyes were intense and his voice was clipped when he answered. "It is my fate and I shall change it however I like."
He set the cards down roughly in front of her.
She picked them up carefully and with a fluid motion spread them out on the table, creating a fan of cards displayed evenly. He could tell she'd done this probably a good 100 times before.
Draco looked at her as she leaned back and rested against the grand wooden chair, folded her hands on her lap as a smile curved her lips and said, "Pick ten cards."
(A/N): Bad Dimi! Bad, bad Dimi! I shouldn't be starting something else, but this idea came to me when I was wandering around aimlessly ^_^
Now, I'm not sure how long this is going to be, but I doubt it will be one of my four chapter short fics. That and I'm making this up as I go along, so rating/subject/plot can and probably will change. As for the actual reading she is about to do, I have an idea for this, but when I'm explaining the cards -their meanings and techniques if I can- it will probably be a bit different than some are used to. My mum bought me my first deck when I was…I think 11 or 12. So yes, I've been at this for a while and I know what I'm doing.
So review and tell me what you think!
-Glowing Embers
.